Chapter 1: The End of an Affair

 The old, gray manor stood tall and brooding at the highest point of Sunset Valley.  It was one of the oldest buildings in the town belonging to one of the oldest families.  Goth Manor had been called ‘the house on the hill’ by most that lived in Sunset Valley.  The Goth family was dark and strange, at least they were to the other people in town.  The Goths considered themselves normal, but overseeing the town cemetery instead of building schools and business offices was weird for most folks.  The town cemetery was just an extension of the Goths’ private family graveyard.  Thus, the house on the hill earned the honor of being the town’s haunted house.  Of course most people only guessed that ghost roamed the grounds around Goth Manor, but the Goth’s knew that their ancestors visited on a nightly basis.  They found comfort with the undead that had been at one time living in Goth Manor.

 Gunther Goth inherited the Manor from his father Victor, who had inherited from his father, and so it had been since the Goths first settled in Sunset Valley.  Gunther had been prepared to follow the same path as the men in his family had for over a century.  He was doing well at the business office for the local media corporation when he met the love of his life.  Gunther had fallen hard for Lolita.  They dated for a while and Gunther asked Lolita to be his wife.  After a short engagement they were married.  Life seemed to be perfect for Gunther and his new bride.  Unfortunately, a couple of years into their marriage Death had come to collect Lolita after an electrical accident.  No amount of bargaining with Death would help to save Lolita.  Death wanted a soul and he took hers.  Gunther was forced to bury his wife with the others in his family who had passed to the afterlife.  Gunther had invested himself in his work and climbed ranks quickly.  While he had no intention of remarrying, his father insisted he find a woman that would produce an heir to inherit the manor after Gunther’s death.  He wasn’t fond of the idea but he would do what was necessary of him.  Victor had arranged a date between Gunther and Cornelia Crumplebottom, a young woman from another well-to-do family in town.  Cornelia seemed like a good fit to be a matron of Goth Manor.  Since he was not young any more, Gunther agreed to marry Cornelia.  Their son Mortimer was conceived during their honeymoon, and since he only needed one heir Gunther didn’t join Cornelia at the end of most days.  Despite moving on Gunther would walk through the manor and over the grounds seeking the ghost of his beloved Lolita.  She would only apparate on rare occasions, especially after Gunther married Cornelia, but when Gunther would find her he would spend the entire night talking or just sitting with her.

 Business was doing well in the office since Gunther was CEO but things were not running smoothly at City Hall.  During a special election some residents started a write-in campaign to elect Gunther as the next mayor of Sunset Valley.  Surprisingly, he won in a landslide by earning 65% of the votes.  He thought that the change in pace would be a great opportunity so he accepted the position.  Being Mayor had its perks.  He was picked up in a limo every day.  He also enjoyed the prestige the job brought to him.  The Goths had been in businessmen for generations, but Gunther was the first to tackle politics.  The job was interesting at first though soon it became monotonous.  The grind at the business office was usually broken up by flirting with businesswoman Nancy Landgraab.  Now that he was at City Hall he couldn’t see her every day, but her couldn’t get her out of his head either.

 Nancy was a retreat from the boring every day work, but now Gunther needed more.  He pursued Nancy outside of work.  It was risky but he was willing to take the chance.  Nancy descended from the other family that founded Sunset Valley, though never in the history of the town had a Goth and Landgraab alliance been solidified by a marriage between the families.  It was a mystery to Gunther.  He found Nancy a refreshing contradiction to his everyday life.  Cornelia had fit well into the Goth family just like his father had thought, but she was more of the same.  Nancy’s skin glowed whereas Cornelia was pale.  Nancy was soft, lush, and pastel.  Gunther found the scent of Nancy’s lavender rose perfume intoxicating.  He looked forward to breathing her in when they met.  For the longest time Gunther had maintained a balance between work and Nancy and keeping both of them at work.  He was a dedicated father and a minimum husband, but he did not wish a scandal upon his family.  While no one suspected anything his grasp on the affair was beginning to slip. 

Mortimer was a lonely boy.  He had often wished for at least one brother or sister, but he made do with his best friend Bella.  Even though he was lonely he did enjoy the doting by his parents.  His favorite was seeing new movies with his dad at the theatre.  Mortimer had been waiting for the next movie for over a month.  It was going to be awesome.  His mom had gotten a call earlier that his father was going to be working late so he decided to get a head start on his homework.  Mortimer was well into his homework when he realized that the movie was starting and his dad was home yet.  They had never missed a movie so he was hopeful that his dad would be home any minute and he went back to writing an essay.  After his essay he worked on math.  Then his homework was done, but his father still wasn’t home.  Looking at the clock Mortimer understood that he wasn’t going to see the new movie.  He quietly picked up his homework and headed to bed.  Cornelia watched her son hurt and the anger was brewing.

Earlier that afternoon Gunther had decided to meet Nancy at Hogan’s for dinner.  It was one of their favorite places because it was dimly lit and a little corner table was always reserved for him.  After dinner Gunther and Nancy decided to have dessert at the Landgraab Estate.  Since Nancy’s husband Geoffrey worked overnights at the hospital it wasn’t likely they would be interrupted.  Dessert was followed by particularly amazing woohoo.  Afterward, as Nancy was lying over his chest, Gunther was content is breathing her in.  He became lost in thought about what his life could have been like had he not agreed to marry Cornelia or if Nancy had not married Geoffrey.  It was in this silence that they heard the click of the front door.

“Nancy, Malcolm, I’m home,” Geoffrey yelled from the foyer.  Gunther and Nancy scrambled for anything to dress themselves.  Gunther settled for Geoffrey’s pajamas when he realized his clothes were strewn across the bathroom floor.  Nancy just finished tying her robe when Geoffrey walked into the room.  It only took him a moment to understand what he was seeing.

“What the hell is going on here?” he angrily questioned his wife.

“Geoffrey, I didn’t know you would be home so soon.”

“It doesn’t look like you were expecting me home at all.  And you, Gunther get out of my house before I kill you.”

“Your house?” Nancy retorted back.  “You forget yourself Geoffrey.  I am the Landgraab.  This is my house and you are just my husband…”

As Nancy and Geoffrey’s argument declined into a fully fledged screaming match Gunther quietly let himself out into the hallway.  As he made his way to the front door he passed a room that was blaring music.  A blonde teen boy stared at him like he wished death upon Gunther.  Nancy’s son had been home after all.  Gunther felt lucky that he didn’t have to stay in this house tonight.

 Gunther had kept an extra set of clothes in the car and was relieved he wouldn’t have to walk into the manor in someone else’s pajamas.  If he was really lucky then Cornelia would already be asleep when he came to bed.  All the lights were dim when the car pulled into the drive and Gunther felt a sigh of relief escape his lips.  He crept through the living room on his way to bed when a voice startled him.

“Where have you been?” Cornelia demanded as she walked toward him.  She had been sitting at the window waiting for the moment Gunther returned home.

“Calm down Cornelia,” Gunther responded softly.  “I was working late.”

 “Don’t tell me to calm down.  I’m not some stupid, naïve, housewife.”

As Cornelia laid into him Gunther realized he wasn’t as lucky as he thought he was.

“This isn’t about working late.  I’ve heard the rumors.  Our marriage may mean nothing to you, but I will not stand by and watch you hurt our son.”

“What are you talking about, Cornelia?”

“You really don’t remember?  You were supposed to take him to a movie tonight.  He waited over two hours for you.”

“I’ll take him tomorrow then.  It won’t even matter next week.”

“It does matter and it will until he wants nothing to do with you.”  After the last stinging remark Cornelia walk away from Gunther.  She knew that she would not be able to reason with him and he would never tell her the truth.

 Early the next morning Mortimer got ready for school and avoided both of his parents.  The manor may be large, but it was old and the walls were thin.  He had only just drifted off when the fight between his parents started.  He had heard every word.  He had wanted to believe that his parents loved each other even though they were often distant, but the more time he spent at Bella’s house the more he realized his parents were not normal.  Mortimer snuck his breakfast and waited quietly until the bus came.  As soon as he saw it driving up the street he ran out of the house without even telling his mother goodbye.

 Cornelia knew that Mortimer had heard the fight since he rushed off to school without saying a word.  She figured it would do more harm than good to chase after him.  When she was sure that he was safely on his way to school she went to work in her garden.  Gunther had already left to work and she was alone in the house.  The Goths were known for their fascination with death, which never really bothered her.  However Cornelia felt the calmest in her garden.  She loved watching life bloom from the tiny little buds on her veggie plants and apple trees.  Cornelia chose to manually weed and water each plant because it gave her time to clear her head and think.  Cornelia often wondered why she stayed in a loveless married but then she thought of her sister’s spinsterhood and knew she didn’t want that.  Mortimer was also a problem.  Well, Mortimer himself wasn’t a problem but it was a problem that he was the only heir.  If Cornelia decided to leave the she would have to leave Mortimer behind.  Since the Goths were practically Sunset Valley royalty there was no way she would win custody in court.  So she would stay, but she wasn’t going to settle for being a married spinster either.  As she plucked the last weed from the garden she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.

 Mortimer had called home from school to ask if he could go over to Bella’s house.  Cornelia thought this was a great way to get some time with Gunther so she arranged for Mortimer to spend the night with Bella’s family.  Mortimer didn’t mind.  Homework was always easier when he and Bella worked on it.  He had a graveyard in his yard, but Bella had a jungle gym and sometimes her older brother would even play catch with him.  The best thing about being at Bell’s house was that he just felt like a normal kid.

 With time on her side Cornelia asked Gunther to take a walk through the cemetery with her.  The cemetery may have been creepy to most people but any Goth felt calm and comfortable among the headstones.  Cornelia led him over to a bench and began her effort to make things work.

“Listen Gunther, I know that I am not making you happy and that you don’t have the love for me like you did for Lolita.”  She paused for a moment.  It was always hard to mention his first wife.  She carefully chose her words before continuing, “We are not young anymore and it has been such a long time since she died.  Give me the chance to be the wife that you need and want.  I do love you Gunther.”

“Don’t beg Cornelia.  Everything is fine.”

“I’m not begging.  Mortimer needs a good family and loving parents to learn from.  We can do that.”  Gunther stared at Cornelia.  He didn’t really know what to say to her.  He didn’t hate her, but the passion he had for Lolita just wasn’t there with Cornelia.  Nancy was a different story all together.  She was just so different from Goth women he was addicted to her.  Cornelia’s eyes searched Gunther’s.  It wasn’t often that he gazed at her for any amount of time.

 As they sat in silence he couldn’t help but notice her sadness and desperation.  He barely remembered how much he liked her mouth when she pouted.  It may have been a stupid move but he leaned in for a small kiss, just so she wouldn’t look so sad anymore.  Their lips brushed and Gunther could feel a hopeful sigh escape her lips.  He knew he shouldn’t have lingered for more than a moment but he had forgotten how soft and full her lips felt, even if they were slightly wrinkled with age.  He shifted slightly to bring her kiss in deeper.

 Cornelia had forgotten about the small feeling of butterflies in her stomach when she was close to Gunther.  She felt him move and the kiss became more.  She leaned in to take it all when Gunther pulled away.

“Don’t make this to be more than it is,” he said in a cool and quiet tone.  Cornelia’s hands trembled and tears threatened to flood her eyes.  She searched his face for any indication that something went wrong.  Gunther broke her gaze and stared off into the distance.  With nothing left to say Cornelia slowly walked the path back to the manor, her heart broke into a million pieces.

Gunther felt anxious after the brief display of affection with Cornelia.  He had hoped to calm down before returning home but the thought of going back made his anxiety worsen.  Gunther had kept his distance from Nancy after her husband interrupted their night.  The more he thought about her the more he wanted to see her.  Gunther gave her a call and asked her to meet him in the cemetery.  Nancy was not thrilled about meeting there, but all of their usual places weren’t an option in the fallout of being discovered.  Gunther was glad to see Nancy again.  It seemed that she was putting on a little weight but her new curviness was sexy.  They spent the afternoon relaxing in solitude and Gunther gave Nancy a tour of the mausoleum. 

Gunther had returned to his old habits of working late.  Even though he was into his elderhood, he gave no indication of retiring.  Cornelia was having no luck with Gunther.  She was unflirty by nature and she thought that could be part of the problem.  She supposed if Gunther was having an affair he was obviously looking for the affection she thought was somewhat pointless.  Not one to give up easily Cornelia did a little research and decided her current nightgown choice wasn’t helping matters.  She visited a high-end lingerie store and invested in something a little more revealing.  Later that afternoon she sent Mortimer over to the Bachelors, lit some candles, and called Gunther to come home early.

 Gunther wasn’t happy that his wife wanted him home early.  He was ramping up his campaign for Vice President and he thought about grabbing some dinner with Nancy.  However, the urgency in Cornelia’s voice was concerning.  The election wouldn’t go well if he was in the midst of a divorce.  Gunther decided that it was probably best to go home this time.  He had imagined that Cornelia would be waiting for him on the front porch with her bags pack and the divorce papers in hand.  He was surprised by the quiet house.  Even the maid wasn’t around.  He went upstairs to the master bedroom.  As he opened the door his heart nearly stopped at the sight of her silhouette in the candlelight.  Cornelia beckoned him to the bed.  He had never seen Cornelia like this before, conceiving Mortimer had been mechanical, and the sparse encounters since then had been obligatory.  He was so caught off guard that he found himself relaxing next to her. 

Cornelia took Gunther in her arms, “Don’t speak,” and she kissed him before he could say a word.

 Cornelia drew him in with her kisses, deeper and feverishly with each kiss.  Gunther wouldn’t have been able to leave if he had wanted.  At first she was nervous and clumsy, then slowly she let go.  Cornelia’s instincts as a woman took control and Gunther matched her rhythm.  Together they shared a night together as lovers rather than husband and wife. 

After that unexpected night Gunther made an effort to come home at a reasonable time.  His relationship with Cornelia was improving, though nowhere near perfect.  He had returned to long hours after he took office as the Vice President.  He wasn’t seeing Nancy however.  He had heard that she did follow through with her divorce from Geoffrey, but with his relationship on the mend with Cornelia he dare not risk meeting with Nancy and falling back into habit.  It was during one of his late nights that his secretary took a call from Nancy.  She requested that he meet her at the Art Museum.  Gunther didn’t think it was a great idea, but if Nancy dared trying to contact him at home the situation could be worsened.  Upon entering the second floor Gunther could see why Nancy wanted to speak with him.

 “I’m pregnant,” Nancy blurted out before Gunther had left the staircase.

“Congratulations to you and Geoffrey,” Gunther said quietly.  Nancy stared at him in disbelief.

“Congratulations to you and Geoffrey?  Don’t be a fool, this is your baby Gunther and you know it,” she spat.

“Keep your voice down Nancy.  This is not my baby.  Go home and tell Geoffrey he is going to be a father again.”

“What?!  If you deny this child I will tell Cornelia.  How do you think she will take the news?  I know she has always wanted more than just your one son.”

“You have no proof Nancy.  Are you looking for money?  I can’t imagine that you are short on cash, but regardless, you aren’t getting a dime from me either.”  Nancy was blinded by fury but thankfully her Landgraab upbringing was stronger.  Before she caused a scene she left.

Gunther, on the other hand, was not so refined.  To him the matter was not settled and he went after Nancy.

“We are not finished Nancy.”

“Oh, I’m finished and when I’m done you’ll be more than finished.  I won’t stop with telling Cornelia.  I’ll tell Mortimer, and then I’ll tell the entire town.  Your campaign for Leader of the Free World just ended.”

“Don’t you threaten me.  I’ll ruin you before you even get a chance to tell people that is my baby.  If you go anywhere near my family I will destroy your business and anything you are holding for Malcolm.  When that is done, I will make sure you never see that baby again.”


“We are done here,” Gunther said.  “If you want a father for your baby, go tell Geoffrey.”

“I can’t believe you.  I can’t tell Geoffrey.  I left him for you.  You were supposed to leave Cornelia you lying snake,” Nancy cried at him.

“It is not going to happen.  You shouldn’t have made such a rash decision.  Now go home and stay away from my family.”

 “Don’t do this Gunther.  We can be a family.  You, me , and this baby.  Life wouldn’t change much for you at Landgraab Estate.”

“Landgraab Estate?” Gunther scoffed, “What in the world make you think I would give up Goth Manor for Landgraab Estate?  Nancy you are clinging to a desperate fantasy.”

“You should have thought about that before you started this affair,” Nancy replied.  “You have an obligation.  You can cooperate or I can make you cooperate.”

“It is your own fault you are pregnant.  I don’t want this baby, it is not mine.  This is over.”

As Gunther walked away for the last time he could hear Nancy screaming through the door, “This is not the end Gunther.  There will never be an end.  We are enemies and every Landgraab will always be an enemy to any Goth.”  Nancy’s Landgraab poise had deteriorated into a woman scorned.